Sabin wrote:I'm not saying the trailers look identical, but the movies they both evoke. Black Hawk Down was all about the mission. This film looks like it's all about the mission as well. Perhaps there's a bit of Zodiac tossed into the mix. I agree with all of your add'l assessments though. Especially [the excellent] Homeland.

I thought you were saying ZERO DARK THIRTY looks like an action film similar to BLACK HAWK DOWN, but you just mean the real life missions are similar. I was worried the only way Bigelow would be able to secure funding and government cooperation for this film would be by turning the story of the hunt and killing of Bin Laden into the type of military porn Michael Bay is known for. This trailer makes it seem pretty clear she and writer Boal have not lost sight of the intelligence work that went into the actual killing. I think your comparison of this film to ZODIAC is also very accurate. Since that is one of my favorite films of all time, it gives me hope that ZERO DARK THIRTY will be equally as impressive.

"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow

I'm not saying the trailers look identical, but the movies they both evoke. Black Hawk Down was all about the mission. This film looks like it's all about the mission as well. Perhaps there's a bit of Zodiac tossed into the mix. I agree with all of your add'l assessments though. Especially [the excellent] Homeland.

"If you are marching with white nationalists, you are by definition not a very nice person. If Malala Yousafzai had taken part in that rally, you'd have to say 'Okay, I guess Malala sucks now.'" ~ John Oliver

In what possible way does it resemble BLACK HAWK DOWN? Do you mean the real life stories are similar or the movies themselves are similar? BLACK HAWK DOWN was a relentless action film. Ridley Scott's style for the entire film was loud and kinetic, which is exactly what the story needed. There was very little in terms of plot twists, dialogue, or character development. It was about realistically portraying the visceral horror of being in battle.

ZERO DARK THIRTY on the other hand looks closer to a spy procedural. It seems it will be going through how the CIA and military intelligence tracked down Bin Laden. It actually seems more like a mix of ARGO and THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, going through the slow process of gathering the information necessary to fight terrorism. To me, it actually looks like the exact opposite of BLACK HAWK DOWN, both in the writing and directing.

It was pointed out somewhere else, but it actually reminds me of the Showtime series Homeland.

It will be interesting to see how general audiences react to this film. On the one hand, the killing of Osama Bin Laden united this country for a few days in a way I have not seen since 9/11. On the other hand, after the celebrations died down, folks who hate the President realized how much this would help his re-election. Republicans, Fox News, and other conservatives started working to undermine Obama's triumph. They even went so far as to accuse the President of giving Kathryn Bigelow sensitive information. These attacks forced the film to push its release date until after the election. I am not sure if all the folks who do not like Obama are going to boycott the film, or if their interest in seeing how it all went down will override their dislike of the President.

However this film does at the box-office, I think the Academy will respond well. I think nominations for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Sound, Sound Editing, are pretty good. The big question is if there are any likely acting nominations. Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain seems like the best possibility, but it is hard to tell. She appears the most of anyone in the trailer, but then does not say a word.

I know I am certainly looking forward to it. The quality of the trailer certainly has me confident in the quality of the film.

"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow

"If you are marching with white nationalists, you are by definition not a very nice person. If Malala Yousafzai had taken part in that rally, you'd have to say 'Okay, I guess Malala sucks now.'" ~ John Oliver

Second trailer, and it looks amazing. Some really striking visuals, and I am very happy to see the trailer presenting the movie as more of a thriller than a shoot-em-up action film like GREEN ZONE. Pay attention boys, this is how a lady does a war movie.

"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow

I am an unabashed Kathryn Bigelow fan, and think THE HURT LOCKER is one of the greatest films of this (short) century. So I am of course anticipating this film more than any other except THE MASTER (because I am also a huge P.T. Anderson fan). The below teaser is absolutely perfect in how it shows very little but sets up the tone of the film and the stakes of the story. I am sure it will not be as emotional or introspective as THE HURT LOCKER, but it looks like it is going to be thrilling. Yes, we know how the story ends, but now we will get to see how it all happened.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, expected in theaters just weeks before the 2012 presidential election, is already generating a partisan political feud.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, says he's worried that the Obama administration will only be too happy to give sensitive details about the Navy SEAL mission to the Oscar-winning moviemakers behind the project.

White House spokesman Jay Carney suggests that King should have better things to do than complain about a movie.

King on Wednesday sought an investigation by the CIA and Pentagon inspectors general, wanting them to review the administration's cooperation with director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal, both Academy Award winners for the 2009 film "The Hurt Locker." The bin Laden movie will be distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

King said too much information already has leaked out about the Navy SEALs raid in May that killed bin Laden in Pakistan, and he noted that Pentagon officials have cautioned against further discussion of the mission.

Among other things, King asked the inspectors general to determine what consultations occurred in the administration about providing Hollywood with access to covert military operators and clandestine CIA officers.

Carney told reporters: "When people, including you in this room, are working on articles, books, documentaries or movies that involve the president, ask to speak to administration officials, we do our best to accommodate them to make sure that facts are correct. That is hardly a novel approach to the media.

"We do not discuss classified information. And I would hope that as we face the continued threat from terrorism, the House Committee on Homeland Security would have more important topics to discuss than a movie."

Carney said information provided about the raid was focused on President Barack Obama's role and it's the same information given to anybody writing about the topic.

In an interview, King said, "People in the CIA reached out to me saying they were opposed to this." But he acknowledged that others in the spy agency were willing to cooperate.

"Most SEALs want to stay in the background," he said, and not "tip off the enemy of what they do and don't do."

King said he was not trying to take credit away from the president.

"I, as much as anyone after the killing of bin Laden, gave full credit to the president," he said. "I knew this was an extremely tough decision. Top people in the administration were opposed to it. It was courageous, heroic and showed real leadership."

Bigelow and Boal say their movie will be nonpartisan.

"Our upcoming film project about the decade-long pursuit of bin Laden has been in the works for many years and integrates the collective efforts of three administrations, including those of Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama, as well as the cooperative strategies and implementation by the Department of Defense and the CIA," they said in a statement.

"Indeed, the dangerous work of finding the world's most wanted man was carried out by individuals in the military and intelligence communities who put their lives at risk for the greater good without regard for political affiliation. This was an American triumph, both heroic and nonpartisan, and there is no basis to suggest that our film will represent this enormous victory otherwise."

Marine Col. Dave Lapan, a Defense Department spokesman, told reporters the film project is only in the script development phase.

"DoD is providing assistance with script research, which is something we commonly do for established filmmakers," Lapan said. "Until there is a script to review, and a request for equipment or other DoD support, there is no formal agreement for DoD support."